TL:DRSuffolk delivered 6th Street Place, a six-story, 94-unit affordable housing development in Los Angeles, Calif., that uses modular construction. Courtesy of SuffolkFacility managers at higher education campuses can expect better quality and lower maintenance needs if new dormitories and other student housing use modular construction, a general contractor experienced in that method says.Modular construction is used mostly for affordable housing as a way to bring new units to market at a lower cost, but universities and colleges are looking at it more, according to Jim Stanley, executive vice president and Los Angeles division manager of Suffolk Construction, a builder that operates across the U.S.A good example is
California Polytechnic State University, which plans to bring online some 3,000 beds over 10 years to house the school’s growing student base at a lower cost than stick-built housing while keeping the design aligned to the school’s historical structures, he said. “Especially with a renowned university like Cal Poly, they want it to be an experience for the student, and they have some historical buildings, so you’re competing with older student housing and you want it to still be a positive experience,” he said.
Modular construction has evolved to include units that can have relatively sophisticated designs without sacrificing the value proposition it offers by simplifying and standardizing the base component, he said.“I’ve seen quite a few modular jobs that have [ornamental] projections where the [modules] get stacked,” he said. “Maybe the actual box itself has to be enhanced in order to handle some of these things.”
Modular building manufacturers have evolved
two types of business models, Stanley said. They either build each modular unit from scratch or they act as an assembly line and contract with other manufacturers to produce pieces of the unit. “They might outsource the frame construction, the wall panel construction and the bathroom pod — similar to how a car is made,” he said.
Cal Poly could expect to get the main structure for a 100-unit building completed in seven days — 30% quicker than if stick-built — using the modular method, with roughly corresponding savings in cost, Stanley said.“Yes, I still have to scaffold it and roof it,” he said. “I have to put the facade on the skin, and there’s still work that has to happen, but the structure gets topped out, plus the interior fitted out” in that shorter time frame.
Facility managers at higher education campuses can expect better quality and lower maintenance needs if new dormitories and other student housing use modular construction, a general contractor experienced in that method says.
My Thoughts 💭
Modular > 3D printed homes. My only concern with modular construction is
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The air tightness of the building. Last time I stayed in a modular home the insects infiltrating the home seem to be at a higher rate
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Can these buildings stand the test of time? 30-50-100 years?